The Princess and the Mortal
by crimsonnotion65
Summary: Parody of Beauty and the Beast BMWW style. My first fic.
1. Prolouge

The Princess and the Mortal

Prologue

Once upon a time in a dark city far away filled with dangerous crime a baby boy was born into a rich and powerful family. But as he grew up he was spoiled and didn't care about others and only cared about beauty. When he was eight he and his parents went to the cinema that evening. Returning from the movie they walked into an alley as a shortcut to the car. The family froze in fear for before them was a mugger with a gun pointing at them. "Get the lady to give me the pearls and I'll let you go." The mugger said. She was about to give the necklace to him when the father fought against the mugger. He cheered his father on until the gun blew off. His father fell to the ground, blood streaming down his hands and jacket. His mother ran to him and was shot in both head and chest. What was going to become a small mugging became a double murder. The man took the pearls from her neck and ran off not looking back at the boy crying in grief for his parents. That night at his bedside the boy made a vow to avenge his parents. Over the years he grew in despair and darkness becoming less talkative each day. During a cold blizzard a beggar woman came to the mansion and was led inside by the boy's butler Alfred. The twelve year old boy came downstairs and was horrified by what was in front of him. In return for shelter from the bitter cold she would give him an enchanting rose. He dismissed her. But the woman did not go. In her croaking voice she told him don't be deceived by looks for beauty is found within. And with that her ugliness melted away and she turned into a beautiful enchantress. The boy begged for mercy and forgiveness saying that he could change, but the enchantress saw that there was no kindness in his heart for his heart was as black as the night. She cast a spell on him saying that he would turn into a beast if he didn't change his ways. The rose she had offered him was a magical rose for when the last petal falls on his seventeenth birthday and he has not learned to love someone and earn her love in return he would remain to be a beast forever. As he turned sixteen he lost all hope. For what kind of Beauty could love a Beast?


	2. Beauty

Beauty

Diana walked along the empty halls of the palace, the echo of her footsteps filled the quietness. But once she left the main doors the roads of Themiscaryia were busy with women and children. Diana looked down at her basket. She had just finished reading the book about "King Arthur and the sword of Excalibur" and was going to return it at the book shop. She loved fiction that monarchy was placed in. But she also especially loved a good old history lesson, even if it was written in another language. Diana was considered a strange girl. She hardly goes out. The only time she would go out would be to return a book or grab a new one. As Diana walked past a group of women, she could hear their whispers. She didn't care. She liked the way she was. To the citizens of Themiscaryia, Diana was a princess. But to herself, she was a regular common girl. Slowly she walked, humming a tune her mother would sing to her. More intimate whispers surrounded her. She walked faster. As childish as she was, she jumped into a puddle.

"Hi Diana!" A little girl with dirty blonde hair ran up to Diana. Diana smiled.

She knelt down. "Hey Lacy, what's up?" Lacy was always enjoyable to hang out with. Lacy was the most enthusiastic seven year-old Diana knew.

"Are you going to Alexa's bookshop again?"Lacy asked. She looked at Diana's basket. "Who's King Arthur?"

"Yes. Maybe you should read the book."

"Can I go too? Mom is helping the teens train." Lacy asked. Her mom was the chief of the army. She trained thirteen year-olds for war. Besides being the strangest girl, Diana was the best warrior Lacy knew.

"Sure." Diana replied. Hand in hand, they walked to the bookshop.

"Oh, hi Diana." Alexa said, just finishing putting a books back on their shelves.

"And Lacy!" Lacy added, pouting. "And Lacy." Alexa corrected. Diana grabbed the book from her basket and placed it on the counter.

"Wow. Finished already?" Alexa asked. Diana nodded. "Couldn't put it down. It was that good. Do you have any different books?"

"Once again, no. The travelers don't come back until two more weeks. But that's good, it gives me time to get your birthday present." Alexa smiled at Diana. Diana rolled her eyes. The road to her Independence was coming to an end. She was going to turn seventeen in three weeks and she couldn't be more excited. Once she turns, one more year and she will be crown princess of Themiscaryia. The only part that sucked was more duties were put upon her and she had to marry the one and only man in Themiscaryia. Dominic. Second best at everything. Diana was first. At least in Lacy's opinion. Diana hated responsibility. It was a burden to her. She never wanted to grow up. Sixteen and more childish than a five year old. Not only was Dominic annoying, but extremely vain and quiet. She would try to have a conversation with him but it would so silent, a cricket could be heard.

"You're lucky you get to marry Dominic." Alexa said, interrupting Diana's thoughts. Alexa had a crush on him ever since they were kids.

" Alexa, when he tries to impress me he talks way too much. Do you know how gullible he is? **Extremely** gullible and **very** vain and **really** quiet." Diana explained. "You know he's not my type. Too lazy. Thinks poorly about women. And yet women still fall for him. Honestly, you guys need to get a better taste in men."

"Alexa," Lacy suddenly interrupted. "I wanted to read that book Diana gave you."

"Of course." Alexa said, shooting a look at Diana. Diana knelt down.

"Lacy how about you go and find Marisol? Alexa and I will finish talking." Lacy nodded and waved goodbye, running to look for her best friend. Diana stood up.

"Sorry. But it's true. Just because he's the only man here, doesn't mean I have to fall for him. But maybe if we can go to the mortal world we can-"

"No Diana. We're forbidden there. You know that."

"We're forbidden everywhere woman! We can just sneak off like we used to do when we were kids." Diana said.

"You are truly the most stubborn and persistent person I know. You just want to see that boy that you saw when you were younger." Alexa replied crossing her arms. "Don't bring that up Alexa. That was one time and I was thirteen! He's probably dead since he lives in the most dangerous city." Diana had sneaked off on her own on her birthday. She met a boy in the mortal world whom she fell deeply in love with. When she returned, she told Alexa. And Alexa has made sure Diana didn't go near the release portal.

"Let's go on my birthday. It can be considered your present to me. Please!" Diana begged.

"...Fine. But only because it'll be your birthday."

"Thank you!" Diana hugged her closest friend tightly. And with that she walked out of the bookshop. Then a familiar man stepped in front of her.

"Diana. How are you, my wife?" The man asked. She looked up and sighed. "I'm not your wife. And I'm fine." She crossed her arms. "What about you?" As Diana expected, he didn't answer. Instead, he walked over to a silver platter and started to fix his hair. Diana rolled her eyes.

"Dominic, my love I must go now."She said in her best possible sweet voice (which she was terrible at).

"Alright my wife. Be home soon." Dominic replied, still not looking at her. She walked away.

That night she opened the door to her balcony. A cold breeze passed through her. Her long raven hair flowed behind her. She looked up and prayed to the gods. Then a shining light came from the ground. She looked at the forest of green in front of her. A bright yellow light, shining in the middle of the forest. Suddenly the light evaporated. Diana recognized that light from somewhere, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Feeling uneasy, she tried to shrug it off when she went back to bed. But what she didn't know was that a little girl with dirty blond hair, was going to the most dangerous city to find a special boy for a princess she knew.


	3. The travel to earth

The travel to earth

Diana awoke as fresh as a daisy. Sitting at the edge of her bed, she carefully lifted a box from underneath the bed. Slowly, she lifted the lid. Inside the box was a pair of ballet slippers. They were her mother's and it was given to Diana when she first started to dance. She slipped them on. She had always had trouble wrapping the silk straps around her legs. But since her mom had duties, she taught herself. Diana stood up checked herself in the mirror one final time, and walked out of her chamber. She saw a dirty-blond haired woman run toward her, face sick with worry.

"Princess, I've been looking for you everywhere. Do you know where my daughter is?" The woman panted.

"Cassia? Well, Lacy never came by here, much less sneak in here. But since we're in the same ballet class, I'm sure she just left early to get there. I'll let you know." Diana reassured.

Cassia nodded, but the worry didn't disappear. Diana gave her a reassuring smile. Cassia bowed her head in thank you. Diana nodded and Cassia started to walk away.

But before she turned the corner she looked back at Diana. "You will truly be the best crowned princess Themiscaryia will have. Thank you." She disappeared. Diana stood there. She turned around and walked the opposite way.

Since Diana was running late, she had to pull on her jacket while running between people. Finally, she reached the entrance to the theater. Running past the decorated entrance, she almost collided with Alexa.

"You're late Diana. Luckily you're only three minutes late. I thought you were going to miss roll call again." Alexa said. Diana laughed.

"That was because I was twenty minutes late." Diana explained. "Have you seen Lacy anywhere? Cassia is literally terrified something happened to her."

"No she wasn't here when I got here." Alexa replied back. "She's never late. But maybe she overslept."

Diana gave her a look. Alexa shook her head." Never mind, she couldn't have overslept. That's your job."

Diana nodded in agreement. But before she could say something, Madam Rodriguez came up to a group of girls near the stage. And yelling in their ears, she said:

"Line up everyone! Roll call." And one by one each girl's name was called out and everybody turned out to be present. Except for Lacy. The uneasiness that she felt last night came back. And for the next hour and twenty minutes, the uneasiness grew. It wasn't helpful with Artemis, her "competition" bothering her. There was a time when Diana was about to punch her, but Alexa shot her a look and she uncurled her hand. By the time Madam was about to dismiss the girls, they were already gone.

" You want to come to my place?" Alexa asked as they took a break at the ancient water spring. As usual, Diana threw a coin in the spring, leaving her wishes with Poseidon. Alexa threw one too.

"Sure. What you did you wish for?" She asked taking out a pair of golden flats out of her bag.

"Wished for Dominic to marry me, live happily after with him, have kids. The usual." Alexa said taking her own slippers out of her bag."Oh, and for Lacy's safety." She added.

Diana sat on a nearby stone and started to unwrap the straps. "I wished that too. I'm so worried about her. You don't even know."She put the slippers in her bag and stood up. "Come on Alexa, Let's go to your place."

Alexa led the way to her home. Diana always have loved going to see Alexa's mother. She was Diana's idol. Alexa was the daughter of a warrior legend. Lola . She fought with Diana's mother. The two were inseparable when they were younger. Ever since, their two families have been one. Lola was basically the exact copy of Alexa just older with gray stripes in her orange hair. Alexa held open the door for Diana. She walked in. Lola, came out of the kitchen with a tray of tea. She smiled when she saw Diana.

"Diana, what is my top student doing here?" The warrior questioned. Diana smiled. Lola had taught her different types of Martial Arts and meditations. Diana then became her top student having Artemis her second best one.

"Hello Master." Diana greeted respectfully. Alexa set down her things and hugged her mother. Lola offered the two teenagers tea. Both gladly accepted it. Though she hated tea, Diana still took it. She sipped it, careful not to burn her tongue. "We were just gonna hang out for a while and study." Alexa said out of the blue, answering her mother's previous question. "Then maybe you two should go upstairs and 'study'." Lola answered putting study in air quotients. Alexa stood up and picked up Diana's tea and headed toward the kitchen. Once she was gone, a certain question popped into Diana's mind.

"Master..." She started. The warrior looked at her with her doll brown eyes. "Yes child?"

"You've been to earth before right?" The warrior nodded. "For a couple of weeks yes, why?"

"I just was wondering." Diana said not quite finding the answer to her master's question. Lola raised an eyebrow. "It's not because of that boy you met three years ago, is it?" She asked.

Diana was shocked at her question. How had she known about the boy? How long _had_ she known?

"How do you know-"

"Child, I heard you telling Alexa about it the day after you came back. You're lucky I didn't tell your mother." Silence was the only thing that came from Diana's mouth. "You're not planning to try and find him are you?" The warrior said, suspicious. Diana didn't say anything, 'cause she didn't need too, it was written all over her face and she knew the warrior had already seen it. "Diana" Lola crossed her arms. "What it is the very first law that makes up our independence?" Diana sighed for she knew it was the most important one. "If you have unnecessary relationship with a mortal man, the punishment is death." She remembered it from her history class. "But-" As soon as she was about to retort Alexa came back in from the kitchen, holding a basket of fruit in one hand and grabbed her things with her other hand.

"Come on Diana, get your butt up those steps." Diana looked at her friend. "Why do you a fruit basket in your hand?"

"I honestly have no clue." She said shrugging. Diana smiled at her silly friend. Alexa grabbed an apple from the basket and took a bite out of it. "We shoo go oopstairs." Alexa said her mouth full.

"Alexa don't speak with your mouth full. You're getting apple all over the floor." Her mother said. She nodded in apology. Diana started up the steps. Just as soon as she was going to be at the top, she heard the front door open.

"Lola! I need your assistance." Diana knew that voice. Cassia came in carrying a note. Diana quickly jumped back down the steps. Cassia eyes were drowned with worry. Once Cassia saw Diana, she started to cry. Diana comforted her.

"What's wrong?" Lola said. Cassia handed her the note. She read it. "Diana, a word." She said suddenly. She walked into the kitchen. Diana looked at Alexa. She urged her to go. Diana took one last glance at Cassia and headed for the kitchen.

"This entire situation is on you." Lola handed her the note. She started to read it.

 _Dear Mom,_

 _Don't worry about me. I'm completely fine. It's probably too late to stop me when you find this but I'll be back before Diana's birthday. I'm guessing you have no idea what the gods I'm talking about,so I'm gonna be honest. I'm going to earth to find something. That's why I'm gonna be back before Diana's birthday,it's a present for her. I should tell you what I'm getting for her. Or who I'm getting for her. All I can say it's an old friend of hers. Well, I'll be back soon. Love you!_

 _From,_

 _Lacy_

"Wow, how is a seven year old kids handwriting way better than mine?" Diana said jokingly, trying to hide her shock and lighten the mood. "Diana!" Lola scolded. "I know, I know. I- I'm sorry." Diana stuttered.

"Any ideas how she knows?" Lola asked. Diana heard a tad bit of anger in her master's voice. She suddenly recalled the uneasiness she had felt after seeing the flash of light last night. She then recalled her conversation with Alexa. She was there for half of the conversation. How could she hear the other half? She then put it all together.

"She heard." The warrior gave a questioning look. "I was talking to Alexa about the boy. She was there with me. But I told her to go find Marisol, she must have eavesdropped our conversation. I'm sorry master, she went off because of me." Diana leaned on the table, saddened. Lola put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's not _all_ your fault. It's partly her fault for listening in. I'll discuss the matter with Cassia later. For now though, I think you should go home and try to come up with any solutions to help us." Diana nodded and walked out. Alexa followed her out.

Once they were in the fresh air, Alexa shook her good friend. "Well, what happened?"

"I'll tell you it tomorrow. I got to go home though." Diana said, grabbing her belongings.

That night Diana thought about the note Lacy wrote. She looked at her bag. Suddenly she realized what she needed to. Grabbing her bag, she dumped everything out on her bed. Grabbing the key essentials, she looked at her ballet slippers. For some unknown reason, she felt compelled to take it with her. Following her gut, she grabbed the slippers and carefully placed it in her bag. Slinging it over her shoulder, she went to her desk and start to write a note. It wasn't elaborate, but straightforward. She knew if her language arts teacher read the note, she would scold her when she came back. After writing a couple of sentences she checked her work.

 _Mom I'm fine don't worry about it. I'm just gonna go somewhere for awhile. I'll be back by tomorrow._

 _Diana_

Leaving the note on her bed, she opened the door to her chamber, heading to the palace kitchen. Once she got there she opened the back door leading to the forest. She drew in a deep breath and started forward. Having it be three years since the last time she went through the portal, she was nervous. And for her to find Lacy would be impossible. She could be anywhere in the world, just trying to find one boy. She stopped when she saw the dial next to a pond. The portal would be disguised as a pond when nobody was using it. She turned the dial hesitantly The dial then transformed into a keyboard. She cursed herself under her breath. It asked to type in the place she would like to go to. And yet she had no idea where in the world she would be. She checked the history section on the side of the keyboard. She sighed in amusement as she saw the words _most dangerous city_. She tapped on it. The water drained out of the pond and the familiar light came peering through. She drew in a deep breath and stepped inside.

Pain was the first thing that greeted Diana as she fell to the cold concrete. Sitting up and groaning, she dusted herself off. That's when she noticed three figures standing in front of her.


	4. Sacriface

Sacrifice

Diana grimaced in pain as the masked figures grabbed her by the arms and threw her against a brick wall. One of the figures batted her with an object. She fell to the ground to find a cut on her cheek, starting to bleed. They started to beat her again. She stood up, holding a hand to her side. Even though she could make them submit, she didn't have time to. There was a little girl out there that she needed to find and these people were in her way. Still she had enough strength to place a couple of punches and kicks. So that's what she did. Knocking out two of them with a well executed roundhouse kick, making the third run off. She leaned against the wall and released her hand from her side. Blood. Wiping it on her leggings, she started to feel dizzy. Suddenly, a glove covered her mouth. Green gas clouded her vision. Her eyes started to roll in the back of her head. She lost consciousness.

Diana woke up in what looked like a underground tunnel. Sitting up from the table she was lying on, she noticed her pearl white t-shirt was gone; replaced by a fresh pair of bindings. Her side was bandaged with blood stains still soaking into the gauze. A table full of medications sat at her side, the caps waiting to be popped open like a cork to a wine bottle. Her bag was at the foot of the table, still holding the contents she came with. Now that her vision had gotten used to the immense darkness, the underground tunnel was more of a cave. The caves stalactites and stalagmites joined together, creating thick and thin pillars, interesting equipment filled up most of the place. The air was humid, and it smelled of evergreens and pines surprisingly; possibly from the outdoors. In the distance, Diana could hear the pipes, humming a rather annoying off-key medley.

Hesitantly, she got up from the table leaning on the table full of medications for support. Grabbing her bag, she slowly started to walk.

"If you're thinking of escaping, don't try. In your state, you won't get far." A deep voice growled. Diana stopped in her tracks and turned around to the voice. A figure stepped out of the shadows, a tall, built boy, dressed as a bat. He looked about her age, only taller by a couple inches. But he was built like a bull. He had a grim expression on his face.

"Sit." He said, gesturing toward the table. Not wanting to, Diana stood her ground never moving her eyes from his face. He sighed. "Please." He murmured. She looked at him strangely. But she had to be kind. She did what she was told. But as soon as she sat down, she felt a surging pain at her side. She clenched her teeth. He must have noticed by the concerned expression on his face.

"Are you okay?" He asked, crossing his arms. She held her side, trying to hide the blood stains. Continuing on and not bothering to answer his question, she asked the simplest question to starting a conversation.

"Who are you?" She asked. She wondered if he had a strange name, going with the way he was dressed.

"Batman." He answered, looking at her injury. She knew it. He was named after something he was dressed up as. "But I ask the questions here, so shut up and don't speak until you are asked something. Are we clear?"

"Well with an attitude like that you won't get far asking me questions." Diana retorted. "Whatever. Anyways, what's your name?" He started to ask, ignoring her comeback. "Diana." She replied.

"What were you doing in the alley?"

"I appeared there." Batman gave a questioning look towards Diana. She sighed, knowing it would be hard to explain this.

"I'm not from here. I'm from a different realm." Diana explained, not wanting to take the conversation any further. "What do you mean, different realm?" Batman pressed on.

"Look it up in something called a dictionary idiot." She snapped. She couldn't handle any more of his stupid questions. This wasn't an interrogation. Grabbing her bag once more, she hopped down the table and started to walk towards the cave entrance.

"Look, I don't have time to be interrogated. I gotta do something important. So if you know something that might be useful to me, I'll be leaving." She complained. She heard him chuckle slightly.

"You mean Lacy?" She stopped as soon as she heard the name. Memories came flooding back to her like a tidal wave. Her cute, cheeky smile, freckles across her nose only visible when she smiled, and the dirty blond hair that was curly.

"How do you know about her?" She asked, only looking over shoulder, but only looking at the ground.

"I was dressing your wounds and you mumbled her name in your sleep. At one point you started screaming her name. You even grabbed my suit and fell asleep on me." He leaned against the rock wall and looked at her with a crooked smile. Feeling his cold, menacing eyes on her she turned away.

"I found her." He said suddenly. "She _appeared_ at the same alley I rescued you from. I knocked her out the same way I did you, by the gas."

She turned to face him. She walked up to him and pounded him against the wall. She was more than pissed. She would bash his head in the wall if she wanted to; but he had information about Lacy. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped his suit even harder.

"Where the hell do you have her?!" She screamed at him. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her away.

"If you want to see her, I can show you the way. But, if you if you won't cooperate with me, forget about seeing her." He threatened, his voice sending chills through her spine. His glare could drill a hole through both her head and heart. Diana sighed.

"Fine." She crossed her arms.

He led her through a winding maze of hallways. It was strange to find out that the cave goes deeper and potentially is under sea level. The caves at Themiscaryia weren't as far in as this one. But she could tell the hallways were man-made, the supports clearly visible. She glared at Lacy's captivator.

"If you must know, she isn't my prisoner. So don't get the wrong idea." He said suddenly, as if he was reading her mind. She rolled her eyes. He stopped. She stopped before crashing into his back. She looked over his shoulder. Or at least tried to. She caught the smallest glimpse of blonde hair. She pushed Batman aside to get a better look. Lacy was behind bars. Her once pure white dress was covered in dirt and dust. Diana ran to the bars and fell to her knees. Lacy was sound asleep against the wall covered in a blanket. Diana gripped one of bars. Her knuckles turned white.

"Not your prisoner?"She asked, standing up. Why didn't she kill him earlier? What in the gods name stopped her from doing it?

Cause she wasn't a killer.

It's the one thing that made her not go hunting. She didn't like to kill things without reason. And ask the gods to forgive her for murdering an animal. But she wanted to kill him. And she was going to.

After all, he was no animal. He was a monster.

She turns toward him. She felt Hades' rage seep into her. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. She started to stare him down. While she was fuming with anger, he was completely calm.

"Are we having a staring contest or something?" He said. That was what made her snap. She aimed directly for the face. She curled her fist and expected her knuckles to fit flesh, but it didn't. Instead she hit the rock that used to be behind his head. The only thing that moved in his body was his head, which was inches from her fist. She removed her hand. There was crumbling rock now and a print of her knuckles. She couldn't believe it. The boy had fast reflexes and movements. He was pretty much like her.

"Can you not make so much noise? You'll wake the kid." Batman said quietly. Since when did he care?

"Diana?" Diana heard Lacy's tired voice. She turned toward the cell. Lacy was up and already peeling the blanket off of her. Slowly she walked toward the princess. The only layer between them was metal; something Diana could easily bend.

"Hey. Lacy are you okay?" Diana said softly, kneeling and stroking the child's cheek. Lacy nodded and smiled weakly. A sharp pain shot through Diana's heart when she saw that. Suddenly, she heard the cell door open. She looked at her right. Batman stood there holding the door of the cell. He gave her a look. Lacy ran out, and wrapped her arms tightly around Diana's neck. Diana winced, having completely forgetting that she injuries of her own. But she hugged the little girl just as tight.

"You're bloody." Lacy whispered.

"I know." Diana replied. She let go of Lacy and stood up. She looked at the boy whom she just tried to punch. Lacy held her hand tightly.

"So now I guess we're going to go." She said to him. He shook his head and gave her a crooked smile.

"You two aren't going anywhere." He said. What? Why wasn't he going to let them go?

"Why not?" Lacy squeezed Diana's hand tighter now that the ends of her fingers started to turn purple. Diana could hear the terror in her own voice.

"Let's see. I saved the kid, I saved you and you tried to punch me five minuets ago." He said counting his fingers. "You pretty much owe me." Diana ripped her hand out of Lacy's grip and covered the kid's ears.

"That's bull-" She stopped herself. She wasn't going to curse in front of Lacy. Even if the kid's ears were covered, she was still gonna hear. She moved her hands to Lacy's shoulders and pulled her close. She bit her lip so hard she tasted the blood that was starting to drip out.

"If you don't pay me back the kid's not leaving. It's just how the world goes round." He said, finally letting the door close. He crossed his arms.

"Fine. Take me in her place. She goes, I stay." Diana said suddenly. She didn't want to but she had to be strong for Lacy. She would die for her. It's what a true ruler did. Sacrifice for others. Lacy wrapped her arms around Diana's legs. Diana looked at her. Batman looked at Diana. He looked at her up and down like he was inspecting her.

"No! You can't stay here!" Lacy cried. Tears were glistening against her cheeks in the dim light. Diana pried Lacy off of her, squatted down and squeezed Lacy's hands. She smiled at the seven year old.

"Hey" Diana said quietly. "You're mother is worried about you. And I'm old enough to handle this." She leaned in closer. "Besides, he's not a scary man. He's just a little boy that's just dressed up as a dumb animal." She said motioning her head to Batman.

"Heard that." Batman said eyeing Diana. Lacy giggled while wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

Diana whispered with a small smile. "I think I can break him." Lacy nodded. Lacy wrapped her arms around Diana's neck and squeezed so tight her arms felt like shackles around Diana's neck.

"You are the best warrior ever." Lacy whispered. Diana bit the inside of her cheek. It was the only way to make her not cry. She heard Batman sigh in annoyance. She rolled her eyes when she heard it. She really didn't want to stay here.

"Are we done here?" He said out loud. Diana pulled Lacy off of her and nodded.

"Good. So how are you getting the kid back to this other realm?" He asked.

"All we need to do is go back to the place where we appeared and we should be good." Diana replied. He let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright. Come on. We're taking my car." He said turning toward the way they came. Diana followed with Lacy on her heels. Diana closely watched Batman. At a couple of moments she could see his muscled back under his cape. She stared at the ends of his cape. There was something about him that made her heart flutter, just not in a good way. He was about to open the door for Diana when she pushed past him and opened the door herself. She didn't want him to do things for her. She may be sixteen but her birthday was coming up soon. Wait, what day is it? How long had she have been here? Looks like she had to ask.

Diana slowly got out of the car. She waited for Lacy. Lacy scrambled out of the car and grabbed Diana's hand. Diana held on to it tightly as if it was going disappear with the rest of Lacy. What would she do if something happened to Lacy after she went through? No, she would be fine. She's an amazon. They're immortal. There was nothing to worry about. Diana stood in front of the brick wall. Carefully she pushed her hand into it to make sure it was still opened. She felt the sea breeze on the other side.

"Come on. Hurry up before I push the kid in there myself." Batman said, leaning against the car. Diana figured he really liked leaning against cars.

"Go Lacy." Diana said slightly pushing Lacy to the wall. Lacy's dug her heels into the ground. "Go." Diana said sternly. Lacy put her head down and slowly started to walk forward. Eventually she stuck her arm into the wall. Diana took a step back. Lacy took baby steps forward until half of her body was in. Diana looked away. Yellow light quickly appeared and evaporated just as quickly. Diana looked back at the wall. Lacy was gone.

"You good?" Batman asked, his voice almost concerned. Diana put a hand to the wall but it didn't go through. The portal was closed. And she would never see her home again.

"Yeah. Let's go back." Diana said quietly, walking toward the car. And they drove ff.

When they got back Diana didn't say a word. Suddenly, Batman grabbed her hand and lead her up a winding staircase. He opened up and it led to a gloomy mansion. She turned her head. They came out of a grand clock.

"Where are we going?" She asked. "You're room." He replied.

"My room?" She cocked an eyebrow at him as they walked up the grand staircase.

"Do want to sleep in a cell?" He asked turning to her. She silently shook her head. "Okay then." Silence.

"You can go anywhere you like." He stopped. "Except for the study room."

"What's in the—"

"What did I just say?" He said rather loud, almost shouting. "Because you can't go there, no try asking questions about it." He said, his voice filled with anger. _Bad temper_ , Diana quietly thought. _Noted,_ she thought. He opened a door at the end of the hall and tugged her in.

"Oh and by the way, You're going to have to join me for dinner." He said. But before he closed the door, he said one final thing to his new guest. "And it's not a invitation." He closed the door. Diana looked around her room. Dark furniture and a white bed greeted her. She landed on the bed with a plop. She buried her face in the pillow. Soon it became wet with tears. She had never cried before. She never felt so weak and so fragile. Training as a amazon taught her to be strong. But she felt like a china doll with crack that wasn't going to stop growing. Soon, she will completely break. It's as if her strength drained out of her as soon as he threw in the room. Why? Why was he so cruel?

Why was he such a beast?


	5. The Tour

The Tour

All it took was a knock to wake up Diana. Rubbing her eyes and stifling a yawn, she looked around her room. It took a second for her to realize it wasn't her room at all. Then she remembered what happened. Batman, prisoner, portal, missing. Lacy. Cautiously, she walked toward the door. She placed her hand on the knob but didn't turn it.

"Who is it?" She asked the door. If it was Batman, she was going to lock it. "It's Alfred, madam." A British voice replied. Diana sighed in relief. She opened the door in a swift motion. Alfred, looked eighty but was full of energy. He was dressed the exact way a butler would dress; suit and tie. He held a tray in his hand. He smiled at Diana.

"Tea?" He asked. Diana smiled and nodded. He came in, poured tea into a small cup. He handed it to Diana, which she gratefully took. Then she remembered she still hated tea. But it didn't matter. The cup was warm and her room was freezing. She didn't mind the strange taste. She just wanted to get warm. She felt her body warm up after a quick sip. It felt good. And surprisingly, the tea wasn't all that bad. Still bad, but not terrible.

"So" Diana started. "Why are you here?"

"Well miss, I work for Mr. Way-" He stopped. Quickly he cleared his throat. "I mean, Batman. Now madam, what would you like to wear for the dinner tonight?" He finished. He went to the closet, opened the door and took some dresses out. He laid them out on the bed. Black linen, purple halter, and a simple green.

Diana shook her head. "I'm not going." She said, sitting on the edge on the bed. Alfred gave her questioning look. "Pardon me madam, but why not?" Alfred asked in a polite way.

"Cause I don't want to. And why should I? I don't want to eat with a beast like him. Besides, I'm not hungry." Diana said. Alfred sighed and shook his head. "I think you're misunderstanding this miss. You just need to get him know him better. Then you'll understand." He said, as he put the cup on to the tray and left the room.

Diana sat there thinking about his words. What was the misunderstanding? She pushed the dresses of the bed and laid down. She stared at the ceiling but she was lost in thought. She blinked to get out of her trance. She sat up and stared at herself in the full body mirror attached to the door. Her injuries had stopped bleeding. The pain was still there, but she heals quickly. Tomorrow, there would just be bruises on her side. As for her cheek, completely gone. It's as if it never was there in the first place. She laid back down on the bed. She closed her eyes and began to dream.

Batman picked at a loose thread in the leather seat. He should have waited in the dining room but he didn't feel like it. He looked at the time. It was well past eight. Diana still hadn't come down. He thought about Diana. Her indigo eyes and raven hair that was as soft as satin and as smooth as silk. He really liked her. And yet, there he was, sitting alone waiting for the beauty to come downstairs for dinner. He had heard her crying when he passed by her room and felt guilty about it. He wouldn't blame her, after all she just had to watch her little sister go away without her.

"Sir?" A voice said. Batman looked up. Alfred stood at the doorway.

"What?" Batman growled. He didn't like being interrupted during his thinking time.

"I just want to inform you that Miss Diana won't be coming down." Alfred said. Barman looked up at him. He wasn't expecting to hear that.

"What?" Batman exclaimed. He stood up. "Why not?"

"She doesn't want to. But I think we should let her be." Alfred explained. Batman started to walk toward the Grand Staircase. Alfred grabbed his arm and shot him a look.

"Don't touch me." Batman grumbled, pulling away from his grip. He stomped his way up the staircase, leaving a trail of dust of his footsteps behind. He made his way down the hall to her room. He pounded on her door and felt the small cracks of the door deepening.

"What?" He heard Diana's tired and annoyed voice. And yet to him she still sounded beautiful.

"Since when do you decide things around here?" He almost shouted. "What do you want?" She asked.

"I want you to come down for dinner." He growled. She sighed loudly. Suddenly, she opened the door with an angry look on her face.

"No! Besides I'm not hungry." She replied stubbornly, sticking out her tongue and shutting the door in his face.

"Sir, try to act like a gentleman." Alfred advised.

"But she's being difficult." Batman complained.

Batman put his head against the door and breathed in. He was about to do the unthinkable. He had to. There was no other choice. Alfred cleared his throat to get his attention. Batman looked at his butler in desperation for assistance. Alfred shook his head. Batman took one last deep breath.

"Listen, I—I'm sorry. But," He took another breath. "Will you have dinner with me...please?" It was the first time he said 'please'. Batman waited for a response. He looked at Alfred, who just shrugged. Still silence. A small murmur came from her room.

"NO!" She shouted.

"You can't stay in there forever!"

"Yes I can!" She yelled.

"Fine!" He yelled. He turned towards Alfred. "If she doesn't have dinner with me, she doesn't eat at all. Is that clear?"

Alfred nodded. Batman made his way to the study room. He closed the door behind him. His study was torn apart, broken furniture lay everywhere, curtains torn. He looked at the drapes. He brushed it aside. There lay his portrait, torn in the middle. There was himself; deep ocean blue eyes, raven hair cropped short in the back and long in the front. Yes, that was him. He looked at the broken mirror. He looked at himself. The way he looked now, was terrifying.

His eyes followed the glowing red beams off light that led to the rose. The rose was in-cased in glass and already had begun to wilt. His birthday was coming up soon. Already two pedals had fallen. It was only a matter a time. There was no way he was going to win Diana's heart. Not like this. He had to make her fall for him. But how?

Diana ran her hands through her hair. Her stomach began to rumble. It's been three full hours now. The pain felt like a spear was pushing itself into her gut. Her stomach felt as if it was going to burst. She couldn't take it any more. She opened the door and peered out into the hallway. She didn't want to see Batman. If she was caught, who knows what would happen. Her stomach groaned. She held it.

"Madam?" She heard a British voice call out to her. She turned around to see Alfred.

"Oh, hi Alfred." She said.

"You shouldn't be out here. Is there something wrong with your accommodations?" He asked filled with concern. Her stomach groaned. She laughed nervously to cover the noise. But Alfred heard it anyway.

"Come with me. We'll get you something to eat." He said. Putting a hand to her back guiding her to the kitchen. He pulled a chair out for her. She sat down. He started to bring out a plate.

"Thank you for this Alfred. But what if Batman sees us?" She worried.

"He's out doing his nightly rounds. He won't be back for another two hours." He reassured. He put the plate in front of her. She began to eat. The food was incredible. She savored every moment. Alfred gave her a surprised look. She had just finished the plate in two minuets.

"Sorry." She said. Alfred just smiled. "It's alright. Bru-" He stopped. He cleared his throat. "Batman doesn't eat much anyway. So I'm glad my cooking isn't the problem." He corrected.

"Alfred, since I'll be living here from now on, do you mind giving me a tour of the place?" She asked.

"Of course. Follow me." He said, walking out. Diana followed. He showed her everything. The mansion was so large it took nearly an hour to see all of it.

Diana trailed behind Alfred when she noticed a very dark hallway. Darker than most. She squinted. It was nothing but blackness. It reminded her of a bottomless pit. But, a never ending hallway.

"What's down there Alfred?" She asked peering into the darkness. Alfred pulled her out. He gave her a stern look.

"You shouldn't go there Diana. That's the master's study room. Besides it's dusty and dull in there." He said quickly.

"So that's his study?" She peered into the darkness more. "I wonder what he's hiding in there." Alfred chuckled.

"Your curiosity is amusing Miss. But I assure you he isn't hiding anything." He said.

"But then it wouldn't be so forbidden then." She pointed out as she started to walk. Alfred quickly blocked her path.

"Maybe you would like to something else?" He asked. Diana shook her head. "How about the garden? Or perhaps the library?" That caught her attention. Her eyes lit up. She didn't know Batman could afford to have a library. By the gods she didn't even know he could read. Actually no, she knew that already.

"You have a library?" She stepped out of the way. "Lead the way." And Alfred did. He rambled about how Batman's library was the largest in the city. Little did he know of Diana's plan. As much as she wanted to see the library, her curiosity overthrew it. Slightly frightened about what she would find, she looked around the hallway. She stopped at a broken mirror. The closer she got to the study, the more cold she was. She rubbed her harms and shivered. She stopped at the double doors and looked behind her to make sure Alfred wasn't coming back. One last breath. She was determined.

She pulled open the doors.

 **Hi! Sorry this took forever. Summer assignments and other useless stuff. But I appreciate those that had stuck with me and once again, I'm sorry. Thanks for the such nice reviews! I hoped you enjoyed this chapter even though I thought it was a bit boring. Anyways I really enjoy reading the reviews and seeing you guys enjoying the story. I'll try to get the next chapter up more quickly.**


	6. Memories, Tempers, Fear, and Forgivness

Memories, Tempers, Fear, and Forgiveness Diana cautiously stepped into her captivator's study. Alfred was right, it was awfully dusty. The darkness engulfed most of the room except for the small window of moonlight. The darkness seemed to be scared of the moonlight, as if it was something that could kill. She carefully avoided stepping on the shattered glass on the floor. She ducked under a tattered curtain. It would seem that Batman had went on some kind of rampage. Everything was either torn, smashed, or thrown against the wall.

She watched her back carefully, watching every shadow that cast along the walls, listening for the slightest sound of footsteps. Yet all she could hear was her quiet breathing. But just for a precaution, she peered over her shoulder. Nothing still. Still looking everywhere but if front of her, Diana collided into what looked like half of a desk. She quickly caught the lamp that was on the desk before it hit the ground. She let out her breath in relief. She continued on but much more aware of her surroundings.

Her mind went back to what Alfred had said to her. About how Batman wasn't hiding anything. But then he wouldn't have to be so protective of it. Maybe it was an invasion of privacy. No, it couldn't be that. The boy was so alone that it shouldn't have been a problem. Unless Alfred was some kind of bothersome pest under that cool and calm facade of his. But other than that, Diana couldn't really see what was the problem. A list of questions appeared in her mind. _What is he hiding? Why is he such a jerk? And for the gods' sake why is the boy dressed up as bat?!_ She thought. Each question was less explainable than the first. And Batman wasn't necessarily helping.

He wasn't what Diana had expected at all. Yes he was angry and menacing and cruel. She already knew it the first she saw him. But every mysterious villain gives away something by accident. It usually came from the expressions on their face. But Batman was so different. He was either angry, frustrated or just has a straight face on. Diana couldn't read him as well as others. He was like a mystery that couldn't be solved. The blank canvas. The book with no story. He was unreadable.

And yet he was fascinating.

Finally Diana reached the back wall after what seemed like forever. Yet she found nothing. Until a set drapes caught her eye. Or what was behind the drapes at least. She brushed it aside. The portrait surprised her. She knew the boy in portrait. Raven hair, deep ocean blue eyes, it was exactly right. It was the same boy she loved three years ago. Memories hit her like a tsunami.

But they weren't good ones.

Yes she fell in love with him but that was before. When Diana first met him, he was sweet and kind. But Diana was naive back then. She fell for his fake personality in an instant. When she confessed her feelings, he changed instantly. She still remembered the words he said that crushed her.

 _That's too bad. I don't really care about you. I'm only talking to you cause your pretty._

Those words were forever burned into her mind. They were never forgotten. Its why she never gave into Dominic. Its why she resisted Batman so easily. But seeing the boy in the portrait made her think.

 _Why would there be a portrait the boy in Batman's study? Unless..._ A shining red glow suddenly blinded Diana. Her eyes followed the glow to see a wilting rose in-cased in glass. She studied it for awhile. It was truly enchanting. Carefully she removed the glass, quietly setting it down beside her. Hesitantly, she reached out to touch one of the wilting petals. Just as she was about to, a shadow appeared on the table.

She didn't acknowledge it at first. She thought it was her own. Shadows did tend to be taller than the regular person.

Until she noticed the pointed ears and the low growling.

She turned around to see Batman towering over her, his body gave off fumes of anger. He looked over her shoulder to see the rose unprotected by the glass. Silent and swift, he placed the glass back on top of the rose, glaring at Diana. She took a step back, her stomach twisting with fear. Never in her life had she been scared of a man. Never in her life had she been scared of anything. Never in her life was she taken aback by anything. But why? Why was she so afraid? What kind of power did he have over her?

The boy was one hell of a mystery.

"Why are you here?"He growled. She didn't say anything. He walked toward her. She continued to step back until her back hit the half desk. She gripped it tightly, even though her palms were sweaty. Her lip quivered. She was waiting for him to start to yell at her. But he didn't. He raised his hand.

And he hit her.

She fell to her knees as his hand hit her cheek.

She felt the need to cry. She had never been hit before. Never in her life had she felt pain. It hurt. Was pain supposed to hurt? She recalled the night she first came to the city. The night she was beaten. Yes it physically hurt. But it didn't hurt mentally. It didn't hurt the the way that he had hit her. He destroyed her pride.

She looked at Batman. He looked suddenly taken aback. Like he regretted for what he did. She stood up and ran from the room. She ran down the grand staircase. Alfred looked up with a worried expression.

"Where are you going?"He asked.

"I'm sorry Alfred, but I can't stay here." She said.

She ran through the door. She remembered the ride to the alley so she knew the way back. She wanted to go home. She wanted to go home to Lacy, to Alexa, to her mother. All she wanted was her normal life again. To be strange, and weird and odd. And read all the books she could ever ask for. She just wanted to be happy.

She walked around after so much running. Her spine felt chills. She could feel the eyes of men watching her. Until one grabbed her arm. Pinning her against the wall, she could smell his drunken breath. Another placed his hand on her inner thigh sliding up. While his other covered her mouth. She squirmed and she broke free. She didn't want to run but she did anyways until she came to an empty street. The men chased after her. She looked around for a place to hide but couldn't.

Diana turned around to the men. She backed away into a corner. Suddenly, as if to her call a shadow rose from the ground.

She noticed the ears.

She watched as Batman fought for her. Standing in front of her like an armed guard. One of the drunken men came too close. So he broke the man's arm. Without being seen, the second man had sneaked up behind them both. Diana smelled his breath. So she took him down.

"You fight?" He said. She rolled her eyes.

"I see you're not talking to me. Look, I'm sorry I hit you." She still didn't talk.

As he was about to say something else to her, the man he was fighting grabbed a small knife and stabbed him, plunging it into his back. Batman fell to the ground clutching his shoulder in pain. Quickly, he grabbed one of his many round things and threw it on the ground. Green smoke came out. He quickly grabbed Diana by her waist, pulled out a strange device that looked like a hook. It easily stuck into the brick of the building next to them. She felt the sudden rush of the wind as they landed on the roof. After a couple minutes he led them back to the mansion. They didn't say anything to each other; or Alfred. Batman swiftly went for the clock. Diana followed him.

Batman bit his lip as he held his shoulder. Diana's hand somehow wounded helping him sit down on the table.

"I'm fine Diana." He said stubbornly, not bothering to sit down.

"And you call me stubborn." She slapped his back. He clenched his fists. "Sit." She said,sternly. He did.

"I see you're talking to me again." He said as Diana looked at his wound. "Sorry I'll try to be quiet again." She said. He suddenly pulled away from her.

"Do you mind?" She asked. He stood up. He looked at her. She crossed her arms.

"I told you I'm fine." He moved his shoulder in circles, wincing every time. "Besides, if you didn't run away, this wouldn't have had happened." He accused.

"Well if you hadn't hit me, I wouldn't have ran away." She shot back. He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it. Diana rolled her eyes, hands on her hips.

"Well you shouldn't have been in my study."

"Well you should learn how to control your temper." She retorted. He stayed silent.

"Sir?" Alfred said, his foot finally reaching the cave floor. Batman's head jerked towards Alfred. Alfred noticed the blood seeping into his cape. He sighed. He opened his mouth to say something.

"I know Alfred it's not my first time getting stabbed." Batman said, turning around, his back facing Diana. Diana stared at his back and noticed what he was doing. She turned around, her cheeks flushing red. She suddenly heard his small cry of pain. She peered over her shoulder.

"You aren't going to help me?" He asked expectantly. She walked toward him and helped him. His back was full of scars. Blood from his wound dripped down, half of it already dried.

"Take off your mask." She suddenly said. "It'll be easier to take off your suit."

He didn't say anything. He just obeyed. As soon a he did, he quickly took off his suit and headed toward the table. He sat with his head down so she couldn't get a good look of his face. He grabbed a brown bottle and a bag of gauze.

"You don't mind patching it do you?" He asked.

"Of course not." She replied. She stood behind him, taking a close look at his wound. She poured a little bit of the liquid on to the gauze and carefully applied to his wound. She could see his knuckles turn white as he gripped the table in as the liquid burned him.

"Sorry." She said. He shook his head, his raven hair long and smooth.

"It's fine." He replied.

After finishing cleaning it up, she sat down beside him. He looked away from her, not bothering to look her in the eye. She didn't acknowledge it. She just stared at him. By the gods did she want to know more about him. She noticed red on his face; it was glistening in the dim light. She brushed his hair aside.

"You have a cut on your eyebrow." She acknowledged. He smirked. He looked at her with a half-smile.

"Thanks for the heads up." He said sarcastically. His eyes were deep ocean blue. It made her heart flutter; her stomach filling with butterflies. Diana smiled softly.

"By the way I wanted to thank you Batman." She said. He placed her hand above hers.

"Please call me Bruce." He said, now with a small smile. She nodded.

"Okay. Bruce."

 **I'M SO SORRY! I had the intention of posting as soon as possible but with school and everything...It's overwhelming. Also I decided to take a little break because of personal problems so I hope you guys understand that. I always feel terrible when I miss my due dates but I'm trying to get organized. So thank you for pulling through with this. Also I hope you like my new avatar picture I drew it myself.**


	7. 3 Weeks Later

y3 Weeks Later

Bruce stared, mesmerized by Diana's goddess-like beauty. The girl walked along the edge of his property, more quiet today than usual. Her raven hair flowing down her back in her ponytail. Every since the attack they had been attached by the hips. Wherever  
she went, he followed. For protection, he would say to her. But she didn't mind. She enjoyed his company, surprisingly. And because of her melodic voice, he was an open shell to her. Exposing all his secrets to her and enjoying every moment of it.  
Countless weights were lifted off his shoulders as he spoke to her.

Sighing, he picked a fallen leaf from the ground. Summer had already started to fade: making room for Autumn. The red and browns were beautifully mixed together. Just like Diana's personality. She was sweet and kind and yet rude and disrespectful and  
strange whenever she wanted to be. He loved it. He had never felt so happy in his life. All because of her. Dare he say, his friend. Was this what it felt like to be happy? He couldn't remember when was the last time he felt this way. And then he  
did.

His parents.

His smile faded as dark thoughts came to his mind. The ones that he tried so hard to block. Tears filled his eyes as he thought about them. His father strong laughter whenever Bruce was scolded by his mother. The way his mother's soothing voice always  
drifted him to sleep as she told him she loved him. The dark thoughts clouded over the happy memories. The darkest he wouldn't dare think about but when he did his wrist would hurt. He looked at his wrist, following his vein with his finger. He stared  
at the scars he had placed there himself. He remembered the blood flowing from the cut he made with his blade. After going to the hospital, Alfred had talked with him for over four weeks after the incident and insisted that Bruce go to therapy.

He suddenly realized how lucky he was to have Alfred. Always caring for him, even though Bruce rejected him countless times. The incident had happened the day after his sixteenth birthday and Alfred has stood by his side since. And made sure to keep the  
knives away from Bruce; just in case. He had to thank Alfred sometime. Or someday.

Bruce heard the patter of footsteps coming up behind him. He covered his wrist again and crossed his arms. He started to stare at Diana again. Speaking of the devil, Alfred appeared beside him.

"You have to stop sneaking up on me, Alfred. You're like Houdini, popping up out of nowhere." Bruce joked. Alfred chuckled in response.

"Well, I am the only one that's able to sneak up on you. So I'll stop when I'm dead." He replied. It was true. Alfred was the only one able to sneak up on Bruce without him noticing. Bruce smiled at the old man.

"Anyways I wanted to ask you something. Doesn't Miss Diana look familiar to you?" He asked. Bruce brushed his hair out his eyes. Now that he did think about it, she did look awfully familiar to a girl he met before. But there wasn't much similarity. The  
raven hair and indigo eyes matched perfectly to the description, but the girl was naive; Diana wasn't.

"Yes but not a lot." Bruce answered. "You don't think she's that girl I told you about do you?" Alfred shook his head.

"We might never know." He said. Bruce continued to stare at Diana, following her every movement. He remembered what she told him, about her birthday coming up soon. His eyes widened. Was that today? Was that why she was so quiet?

"Alfred isn't it Diana's birthday today?" He asked. He heard a small gasp from Alfred.

"It is sir." Bruce stared at Diana, trying to think about something she would want.

"I want to give her something." He looked at Alfred. "But what?"

Alfred thought for what ought to be an eternity. Running from idea to idea. Bruce let out a deep breath.

"Well, there is the usual. Flowers, chocolates, promises that you don't intend to keep." Bruce gave him a look.

"Alfred she's much different than other girls. It has to be something special to her." He explained. Most girls were bratty, always wanting Bruce's money. She didn't care about his money, or how he looked. She didn't ask for anything. It's why he wanted  
to get her something so badly.

"I do have an idea sir." His butler said.

"What?" Alfred just smiled. He motioned for Bruce to follow him. And he did.

Diana was laid out on her bed. She felt so sad. As much fun as she had with Bruce, it wasn't enough to fill her thirst. If only she had brought her books with her. All she needed was a good read. And as if to her call, she heard a knock on her door. She  
got up quickly and opened it. Bruce stood with the usual shy small smile.

"Diana, I was wondering if I could show you something." He said, his voice as soft as a whisper.

"Oh, sure." She said. He took her hand and led her through the manor. She looked around. The manor was more brighter than usual. More, lively. They stopped in front of a door. Bruce turned toward her.

"You have to close your eyes." Diana raised an eyebrow.

"It's a surprise." He explained. She shrugged.

"Alright." She said, closing her eyes. She felt the sudden wind as Bruce waved his hand over her face. He took her hands into his own and opened the door. He started to walk backwards, leading her to the middle of the room. They stopped.

"Can I open them now?" She asked as he let go of her hands. "No. But just wait here." He said, his voice getting further away. She nodded. She heard curtains draw open. She felt the warmth of the sun on her body. Another curtain was drawn. She opened  
her eyelid a bit to see what he was doing.

"Hey. Close your eyes." He said. She quickly shut her eyes.

"I don't know what your talking about." She said, sarcastically. Another curtain drew open.

"Can I open them now Bruce?" She asked, now growing impatient. He waited a bit before answering.

"Yes." His voice right next to her ear. She opened her eyes and covered her mouth to avoid from gasping. Alfred wasn't lying when he told her about Bruce's library. It was bigger than the palace's.

"Happy birthday." He said, quietly shy as ever but with a smile. She looked at him.

"Bruce you're the best!" She hugged him. He was hesitant at first but he hugged her back. She was warm and smelled like lavender.

They read in the library the rest of the day. It was the best birthday Diana had. She was happy with Bruce. They read book after book after book on the comfortable couch. Diana, speaking aloud while Bruce wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.  
She was extremely comfortable in his arms. He was like a bed himself. As Diana read quietly aloud Bruce watched. But he wasn't reading the words on the pages. He was watching Diana; the way she spoke,how she turned the pages ever so silently.  
Everything she did was so proper; she had manners and everything. Like she was raised as a princess.

And she did look like the girl he knew before, the one who was crushed by his words. But he didn't care about her past. He only cared about her now. Diana continued to read softly as Bruce started to close his eyes, the wave of sleep taking over his body.  
Diana looked at him and smiled. She continued to read silently to herself, trying to avoid the attraction of sleep. But it was too strong. She set the book down and cuddled with the sleeping Bruce, resting her head on his chest. He hugged her tighter,  
as if she was going to disappear. She did the same thing to him, clutching the fabric of his shirt in her hand. She didn't let go.

Diana was happy with Bruce. She couldn't ask for anything more. Bruce was happy with Diana. She was the best thing that could ever happen to him. They were happy. Happy to be together. To be friends. To be connected.

Not for long.


	8. Close to See, Far to Touch

**Quick warning, this chapter is really focused on Bruce. So, of course, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.**

Close to see, Far to touch.

Bruce watched it over and over. He knew he was dreaming. There was no possible way that he could be watching his parents being killed in real life. He watched as the eight year old boy fell to his knees in front of his parents. Then it would repeat. Starting  
with a smile, always ending in tears. But when he felt the warmth of fire from the library and smelled Diana's lavender scent, he knew he was okay.

He was so wrong.

The last moments in his dream, he didn't watch from the sidelines. He was in the middle of the alley with the mugger walking toward him. The gun pointed straight at him. He couldn't move. He didn't want to. He wanted to end it. The gun blew off. But it  
didn't hit him. It went right through him. He heard a body slump behind him. He turned around and stared in horror.

Diana.

Her eyes were open staring at Bruce, clutching her chest with one hand. Her other hand was reaching out to him. He knelt beside her crying. Was this dream supposed to mean something? Was were one of them going to die? He didn't want that. He noticed a  
note in her hand. He took it out and read it.

 _Why did you let me die like your parents?_

He woke up. He was still in the library. He looked at Diana, who was still asleep, alive as ever, tangled in his arms. He brushed the loose hairs away from her eyes. He slowly got off the couch, put the book away and covered Diana with a blanket. He went  
to his room to change his clothes. He thought about the dream. He went to the Batcave and started to work again.

Diana woke up with a blanket covering her body. Bruce was gone, probably off working. She rubbed her eyes and peeled the blanket off her. She got up and went to her room, tired and cold without Bruce's warmth. She fell down on the bed with a plop. She  
felt her body sink into the mattress. She was so tired and cold. She wished Bruce would come up to her room and wrap his strong arms around her. Slowly, she fell asleep again, with dreams of Bruce by her side.

Bruce ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He kept thinking about the dream. Was she going to die? He had to be careful. Gotham was a dangerous place. He didn't know what he would do without her. He remembered the note.

 _Why did you let me die like your parents?_

Did he really let his own parents die? He let them die. He did. The note read said the truth. By becoming Batman, he was able to help so many people. Instead of himself. He was weak. He wasn't strong. He stood up, his entire body shaking. Tears flowed  
from his eyes. He had to stop, but he couldn't. He quickly went through a drawer, grabbing a small bottle. Anti-depressants. He quickly popped one into his mouth. Not bothering to wait, he popped two more. His mind was running at the speed of light.

His breathing quickened. He coughed. He held his face in his hands. _I'm not going crazy. I'm not. My parents didn't die because I'm weak. It wasn't my fault. I was young._

He sat down. He stared at the bottle, grabbed and threw it angrily. Pills lay all over the cave floor. But Bruce could only stare at one thing. The one thing he hid from Alfred ever since the incident.

The knife.

Reluctantly he grabbed it. He hid it for so long. Always telling himself to save it for something. Something important. Today was the day wasn't it? This was something important right? He ran his fingers along the sharp edges. Stainless. Not a single  
drop of blood on it.

That was going to change.

Diana woke up again, a bad feeling in her stomach. She was hungry. And as if on cue, she heard a knock on her door. She opened it. Alfred. She smiled at him. He told her that lunch was ready, waiting for her downstairs. She followed him downstairs eager  
to eat. But she didn't see Bruce at all.

"Alfred, did you call down Bruce yet?" She asked, uneasy.

"Oh, I did not. Would you be willing to go tell him it's time to eat?" She nodded. She already knew where he was going to be. The Batcave. She found him there eighty-percent of the time. She hurriedly went down the winding staircase.

"Bruce-" She stopped when she saw the pills on the floor. Bruce was on the floor covered in blood. She ran to him and saw the knife in his hand. His wrist was bleeding out heavily. She tightly held his wrist, trying to stop the bleeding. She shook  
was unconscious. She started to cry. She screamed.

"Alfred!"

 **I'm sorry if this chapter seemed kind of rushed but I finished this morning before school. Now you're probably wondering why I made Bruce try to kill himself. I got three reasons for ya, 1. I wanted Diana to see the more scared and fragile side of him.2. I wanted it to be less of a perfect fairytale and more relatable. And finally,3. I wanted share something personal to me and tie it into the story. Which is Bruce's depression. Obviously my parents aren't dead, so I'm not on the same intense level he's on in the story. But I don't take my anti-depressants and that worries a lot of people. But when I write for you guys I don't feel depressed anymore. So it's this is kind of my little thank you for that. Okay the paragraph is long so I'm out. Bye.**


	9. The truth

The Truth

Diana had her knees to her chest. She couldn't get the image of Bruce out of her head. She continued to cry softly. Alfred was pacing around the hospital waiting room, back and forth. All she could remember was seeing the pills on the floor. Then the blood. Then the knife in his hand. And she couldn't do anything about it. She just sat next to him,screaming and crying for him to wake up. She was covered in his blood. She set her feet down on the hospital floor, her once golden flats now red. She couldn't stop shaking. Alfred finally sat down and comforted Diana, rubbing her back telling her Bruce was fine. She nodded her head agreeing in her mind that he was okay.

But not in her heart.

She was petrified. If he had died... It would be her fault right? No, she couldn't think it like that. But if she really thought about it, it made sense. She didn't come in time. The loss of blood would kill him.

"It wasn't your fault." Alfred said, as if he was reading her mind. "Trust me it's not his first time." She looked at him.

"He's done this before?" She asked. Lately, Bruce didn't show any signs of suicide. He was always happy. At least with her. Alfred nodded. He watched as every doctor and nurse came in and out of the hallway.

"First, he took too many pills when he was thirteen. Then, he tried to cut himself when he turned sixteen. And now this." He looked at Diana with his brown eyes. "There is something I need to tell you, Diana."

He told Diana everything. From start to finish. About his parents, the spell, everything. Diana struggled to process everything he said. It didn't make any sense. First he was happy, the next minute he was on the floor.

"It all took a toll on him." He finished. She nodded in understanding. So, did he use her? Was he just trying to break the curse? A doctor headed toward them.

"Mr. Pennyworth?" He asked. Alfred stood up and nodded. "Is Bruce okay?" Diana asked standing up.

The doctor looked at her strangely. He quickly brushed it off and looked at his chart. He stayed silent for what felt like an eternity. She wanted to know so badly.

"He did lose a lot of blood, but he's fine." Diana sighed in relief. "You're lucky you found him just in time, wait a little longer and he would've been dead or have slipped into a coma."

Alfred asked if they could see him. The doctor motioned for them to follow him. They did without hesitation. As they headed inside an enormous strange metal box Diana wondered why Bruce wasn't on the first like the others. As they headed out to a much less crowded hallway and fewer nurses and doctors, Diana noticed a sign that said ICU.

"Alfred, what does ICU mean?" She asked as they rounded a corner.

"Intensive Care Unit. Only the more infected come here." He answered.

"Why is he in here?"

"He's tried to commit suicide three times, Diana. Of course they would put him here." Diana stayed silent, as their walking pace slowed to a halt. The doctor turned to them.

"I must warn you, you found him unconscious. So I would believe that he's still in that stat-" A nurse came out of Bruce's room and whispered in the doctor's ear. The doctor took a deep breath and smiled.

"It seems that he woke up. Forget what I said. You go in if you want, but go in one at a time." He walked off. They looked at each other, as if they were trying to read each others mind. He laid a hand on Diana's arm.

"I'll go in first." He said. Diana nodded. As much as she wanted to see him, she wanted to wait. She wasn't ready yet. She wasn't ready to see him. She slid down the wall until she felt the cold hard floor underneath her. She closed her eyes, tears silently rolled down her cheeks.

Bruce opened his eyes to see Alfred coming into his room. He sat up. He didn't bother look at him in the eye. He stared at his bandaged arm.

"How are you feeling Bruce?" He asked, sitting down.

"Fine." Bruce replied bluntly. He heard Alfred sigh.

"Bruce, I really do think you should go to therapy. Diana was shaking when I came downstairs." Bruce looked at him with his hooded eyes.

"Diana was the one who found me?" He asked. Alfred nodded. Bruce thought about it for awhile. He should go to therapy. He didn't want Diana to see him that way. He looked back at Alfred.

"Okay." He said softly. "I'll start going to therapy." Alfred stood up and smiled at him. Bruce smiled back. Alfred walked back to the door and opened it, motioning for someone to come inside. Diana walked in reluctantly. Bruce quickly averted his eyes from her gaze.

"I'll leave you two alone." Alfred said, leaving. It was silent between them. Bruce continued to look at his arm as she sat down on his bed. "I'm glad you're okay." She barely whispered. Bruce stayed quiet. He felt her hand land over his. She squeezed it.

"Diana, I'm sorry you had to see me like that." He apologized. She gave him a small soft smile.

"It's fine." She said. "I just want to know why it happened." Bruce let out a sigh.

He told her about the dream. About how the note had made him freak out. He told her everything until the point he couldn't remember.

"You're scared, aren't you?" She said. He looked at her. He didn't need to say anything, it all written on his face. He was terrified. Scared to death. She had never seen Bruce this way. She had never seen him so soft and fragile and on the verge of tears. It's like everything he had told her was a lie. And this was the truth. He was just scared. That's what he was.

She was too.

They continued to stare at each other, never letting go of each others hands. They were both scared. Scared that if one of them had decided to let go, they wouldn't see each other again.

"Diana?" She blinked out of her gaze and looked at the doorway. Alfred popped his head in. Bruce's grip tightened.

"I just wanted to let you know, that Bruce will be staying overnight. Let me know when you're ready to go." He said, closing the door. She stood up. But Bruce's grip pulled her back down.

"Please Diana stay." He pleaded. She stood up again and looked at him.

"You know I can't Bruce." She quickly blinked away the tears. But it was too late. She felt Bruce's fingertips softly wipe away the single tear that had escaped. She sat back down again.

"At least stay till I fall asleep."He said, his touch warming her cold body. She nodded.

"Okay." She said. "I'll stay." He made room for her. She laid down with him but with her back facing him. She felt his arm wrap around her stomach, dragging her closer to him. She felt his chest press against her and soon her entire body was enveloped in his warmth. She wished she could stay in the moment forever.

Bruce inhaled Diana's lavender scent and caressed her gently. He knew she was already asleep. She was knocked out cold in his arms. He had said to her to leave when he had fallen asleep but he couldn't. He tried to but he feel Diana's tears fall into his hand. He had to calm her down for a bit. She was still asleep when she relaxed. He peered over her shoulder to make sure she was okay. He leaned forward and planted a small kiss on her cheek.

"I love you, Diana."

 **And that is the end of this chapter. I hope you enjoyed. And I have good news. I'm FINALLY ORGANIZED. I have organized my schedule so I should be able to post possibly every weekend or Friday night if I'm lucky. And another thing. I've been working on a new story so as soon as this is finished I will be posting the new story. Anyways, thank you guys for reading and I'd love to see what you guys think!**


	10. The Last Month

The Last Month

Bruce was feeling much better once he started to attend therapy. As long as Diana was with him. Though sometimes it was hard. There was days when he didn't go; he was too into his work. At night when he was patrolling, Diana would wait for him to come home. She then would patch him up and lead him to his room. She then would wait for him to fall asleep, checking on him all through the night. If he was shaking or jerking around in his sleep, she would wake him up and they would talk about it for awhile. But if he wasn't, she would let him be.

This continued on for the rest of the year. As it rolled to December, Bruce started to freak out a lot more. At times he would argue with Diana over nothing. But she didn't acknowledge it. She knew why he would be so angry. Bruce's birthday was the day before a holiday called "Christmas". If he didn't win her heart by then, something would happen. He said he didn't know what would happen. But even if she didn't fall for him, she would always be his friend, she would tell him. The fact that it didn't change a thing between them was music to his ears.

But he did care for her. She was completely oblivious to it. Hell, whenever he looked at her he swooned. She did so much for him and he couldn't ask for more. It was because of her that he hadn't given up on life yet. By the gods (as Diana would say it) did he like her. He hated when Diana left him alone with Alfred. Cause soon as she was out of earshot, Alfred would give the strangest smile ever to Bruce. And then he would rant on how they were going to break the spell while Bruce tuned out by listening to music with the volume turned up.

One evening Diana was reading her book on the swivel chair, waiting for Bruce to come home. This particular night she was in rather high spirits. Alfred had talked to her earlier about the annual Christmas gala. It was half of Bruce's birthday and half a Christmas party. She was going to ask if they were going to have it. She heard the rumble of his car rolling in. She got up quickly and walked to the car. Bruce got out and took off his cowl. He smiled when he saw Diana. She smiled her usual serene smile.

"Any trouble tonight?"She asked. He shook his head, as he walked behind the wall to take a shower. She waited until he came out. She watched as he put on one of his dress shirts, but not bothering to button it up.

"I wanted to ask you something." She said. "Sure. What is it?" He replied sitting down in his seat. His hair dripped down shower water.

"Well Alfred told me about how you guys had a 'Christmas' gala every year." Bruce groaned. "Don't tell me you actually want to have one, Diana. Those are boring."

"All I'm asking is how it is usually." She said. He sighed as she sat down. He rolled her chair towards him, picked her up and put her on his lap. She giggled as he started to tickle her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled him. He was warm even if he was coated in cold shower water.

"It's dumb, I'm telling you. It's just full of idiotic rich people who don't care about Gotham." He stops to think. "Well except for some people that I know that actually care."

She let go of him. He buried his face in her neck. She let the shower water drip down her shoulder as he gently caressed her. It was so hard. It was so hard to tell her that he loved her. He couldn't find the right words to say it. But he didn't care he just wanted to make this moment last. As they laid there silently an idea popped into his head. If they did have the party, It would be a great time to confess his feelings to her. Yes that would be a good idea.

"You know what," She looked at him as he started to talk. "We'll have it." Diana's eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Are you serious?" She said. He nodded. She hugged him tightly. She got off him and started to jump up and down happily. Bruce laughed.

"Go to bed." He said. She nodded and jumped her way to the staircase. She looked at him and blew a kiss at him. He smiled as he felt a blush coming on. He watched as she went up the stairs. He moved his hair out of his eyes. He sighed and smiled to himself. _What am I going to do with her?_

It was once again one of those boring nights of waiting. Diana laid on the medical table. Surprisingly, it was rather comfortable. She heard the sudden rumble of his car coming in. She heard his car door slam.

"Diana?" He shouted. She got off the table and looked at him. He was holding someone's hand but the person hid behind his back.

"Look who I found." He stepped to the side. Diana's eyes widened at the first thing she noticed.

A little girl with dirty blond hair.

 **It's obvious you guys know who the kid is. But might as well right? But I'm so happy that I'm able to post every weekend now. So thank you guys for reading, I love you guys and I'll try to get it up as soon as possible cause I'm already half way done. So again thank you guys, I love you. Peace.**


	11. Home is Where the Heart is

Home is Where the Heart is

Diana stared in utter shock at Lacy. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Her hair was a tangled mess of curls. Diana took a step back like she was going to attack her. Lacey's lip quivered. Diana was so out of breath that when she opened her mouth to say something, nothing came out but a squeak. Bruce let go a Lacy's hand and walked toward Diana, placing a hand at the small of her back.

"Are you okay?" He asked. As soon as he talked she felt the air go back into her lungs. She looked at him.

"I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting her to be here." She whispered, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Diana," Lacy said. They both looked at the seven year old. "You have to come home." Bruce's hand slipped off as soon as she said the word "home". She almost said, "I'm already home." when she remembered she wasn't. Diana's home was Themiscaryia. But she spent so much time with Bruce, she felt right at home.

"Why?" Diana asked. She waited for her answer. Lacy wiped her tears. She was shaking.

"Cause you're our queen now." She barely said. She looked at Diana, as if she was trying to find something inside her. "We had a war. With Hades. Your mom is dead."

Diana felt all the energy from her body drain out. She fell down to the ground. Bruce caught her quickly and set her down gently. He held her as she started to cry. Her mother was dead. She was queen now. She shook her head. She heard Bruce say something to Lacy. Lacy went back to the car. Bruce rocked Diana back and forth, trying to calm her down. Her cries died down.

"I'm so sorry." He said quietly.

"I don't want to go back." She whispered. She wasn't ready. She wanted to stay with Bruce.

"You have to." She shook her head. "Please Diana, do it for me." Now Bruce was trembling. She looked at him.

"You want me to leave?" She asked. She couldn't believe it.

"No, of course not." He said he brushed her hair behind her ear. "I just think it's too late. There is no way I'm going to get you to fall for me. And apparently, you're a queen now, so do the right thing." He finished. He didn't wait for her to say anything. He just stood up, helped her on her feet and motioned to the car. Diana knew what the right thing was to do. She nodded.

Bruce waited for Diana to come back downstairs after saying her goodbyes to Alfred. He didn't want her to go, that was obviously clear. He would beg for her to stay if he wanted to. But it was selfish. He had Gotham to protect, she had her people. It didn't matter anyways, there was no possible way for them to be together. He knew that he would never get the chance to tell her. Their relationship was completely one-sided. He remembered the night the enchantress cast the spell on him. She was right. His heart was as black as the night. And there was no way of changing that.

He heard her come downstairs. She had her bag slung over her shoulder and was fully dressed. He could see streaks of tears whenever the dim light would hit her face. He bit the inside of his cheek. It was so hard not to cry.

The ride was silent as it made its way to the alley. All they could hear was each others breathing; but even that was quieted down. He stole a glance at Diana. She was staring at the window, with one of her knees up to her chest. Her free hand was on the arm rest. Without thinking, he took it, lacing his fingers with hers. She squeezed his hand tightly.

As they got out of the car and walked to the brick wall, Diana continued to look at the ground. She couldn't believe it. She was going home. She was going to be free. She should be happy, but sadness was the only emotion she could feel. As they stopped in front of the wall, Diana took let out a shaky breath and looked at Bruce. She had to do something.

"Lacy," She whispered. "You go ahead, I'll be there in a minute." Lacy nodded. She walked in without hesitation. If Diana wanted to, she could tell Bruce to run with her. To get as far from the portal as possible. But she simply walked toward him.

"Bruce I'm sorry." She said. "I'm sorry I couldn't give you what you wanted."

He gave one of his famous crooked smiles, as if he was trying to hide his sadness. "It's fine. Your the first real friend I have, that's all I could ask for." He reached into his pocket, pulled out his strange flying contraptions, and put it in Diana's hand.

"Here, that way you can remember me and Alfred." Diana hugged him tightly. When she let go, she suddenly realized what she needed to do.

"But," She started to say. "Since you gave me something, I need to pay you back. After all, it's how the world goes 'round isn't it?" She said, repeating the very same words Bruce had said to her when they first met. He smiled, recalling the memory. He shook his head.

"Diana you don't need-"

"Please." She interrupted.

"Okay." He said.

Slowly she pulled off his cowl, brushing his raven hair out of his ocean eyes. And then she did it.

She kissed him.

His lips were soft. She ran her hand through his hair. She could tell Bruce was shocked, she could feel his eyelashes blink. And then they closed. He started to kiss her back. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer as she traced his jaw line. As they pulled back from each other, Bruce started to kiss her again. He didn't want to stop. Neither did she. Although she didn't posses the same feelings as he did, she enjoyed it. Time seemed to stop as their lips were connected once again after taking a breath of air. They finally broke away from each other after what seemed a long time that only ended up to be a couple minutes. He let go of her. Silence was the only conversation they had.

"I should go." She said.

"Yeah." He said quietly, suddenly disappointed. She turned around, and started to walk to the brick wall. She silently cried as she went through the portal. She appeared in the forest, Lacy in front of her.

"Finally, you took three full moons." Lacy said sarcastically. She was back to her old self. Diana gave a small smile.

"Lacy, I want you to go home. I'll go back to the palace in a little bit." Lacy raised an eyebrow, but then she shrugged and ran off, clearly happy to be back home. Diana stared into the pond. She sat down and let her index finger touch the cool surface. She traced the outline of Bruce's gift with her other hand. She sighed as she saw a darkened shape in the middle of the water. It was no doubt Bruce's hand. She stood up, but continued to stare at the shape. She watched as it faded away. She walked away from the pond, touching her lips along the way. Her mother once told her that home was where the heart was.

She knew she was never going to see her real home ever again.

 **This was my favorite chapter to write. I have been planning this since I posted Sacrifice. And I'm letting you guys know now, I think of what comes next as I write. And I'm excited. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. Thank you for reading as always and the next chapter should be coming out Friday night if I'm lucky, but the latest will be Saturday. 3**


	12. If You love something, set it Free

"If You love something, set it Free."

Bruce's mind wandered off into darkness. He couldn't stop touching his lips. Alfred sat in front of him, halfway done with his plate of food. Silence surrounded the room, the only noise was the scraping of Bruce's fork against his plate. His food was untouched, just filled with stab marks from the prongs of the fork.

"Bruce." Alfred said, clearly annoyed of the screeching sound. Bruce set the fork down. Alfred stood up, grabbed his plate and then grabbed Bruce's.

"It's obvious you're not hungry. I'll leave this with the rest of the food you haven't eaten." Bruce didn't say anything. Frankly, he didn't care. He got up and went to his room. He picked up his phone from the nightstand and started to look through it, something he did when he was bored. Nothing as usual. Just a couple of business emails, voice mails, texts from Alfred. He laid down on his bed and closed his eyes. He longed for Diana to walk in and just talk to him. He just wanted to see her again.

Diana knelt on the ground in front of her mother's statue. Ever since she came back, everyone came to the palace to tell the problems of the city. Her mind was clouded with duties that had to be done. But after a long day of work, her mind always went back to Bruce. She couldn't get his face out of her mind. Night after night she wished she could relive the moment they kissed. She looked at the plaque. _Queen Hipployata, Themiscaryia's bravest and most promising ruler._ She could never live up to her mother's name. Thankfully, Dominic had decided to take over her duties while she took a break. But he had been acting strange since she came back. In fact, everybody had acted strange around her. But she didn't bother to acknowledge it. She was tired.

Her eyes went wide as she heard a piercing cry that could break a thousand glasses. She covered her ears as the notorious ringing began. She stood up and ran to the middle of the town. She skidded to a stop. There, in the middle of the quad, lay Alexa with her face in her hands. But there was something else. Blood. There was whip marks on her back. Dominic was standing over her, holding a whip, a stern look on his face. Crowds of women and children surrounded the quad but kept their distance, as if scared of him. Diana looked at Dominic and felt her anger take over her body.

"What in the Hades name do you think you're doing?!" She yelled.

"She disrespected her king. This is her punishment." He answered bluntly. Diana grabbed the whip from his hand and threw it to the ground.

"One, you are no king and you will never be. Two, it is illegal to abuse one of our own." Dominic looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"Like you abused me?" He said. Diana looked surprised. What abuse? She opened her mouth to say something but Dominic interrupted her.

"You abused me Diana, emotionally." He raised his hand to show her what held in his other hand. Diana almost gasped. It was the gift that Bruce had given her. It's outline shone brightly in the sun.

"I know about _him._ I know what you two did. I know that you have feelings for him." Diana looked taken aback. From the corner of her eye, she could see Alexa now staring at her in utter shock. And beside her was Lacy. Lacy quickly averted her gaze to the ground. Diana turned her head to stare at the seven year old.

"What did you tell him Lacy?" She asked, she breathed in deeply to not lash out in front of everybody.

"You were in danger. And then you changed. And I saw... I saw you kiss him." She barely said. Diana sucked in her breath. She knew? Dominic grabbed Diana's arm.

"Do you love him?"

"What? No I- I don't. He's—he's my friend." She stuttered. Everybody started to crowd in, angry faces was all she could see.

"You do love him. You really would betray your people? You are not fit to be our queen." He accused. She started to move back, but bumped into the people behind her. They grabbed her by the arms and pinned her to the ground. Dominic lifted her chin, with a menacing expression.

"Put her in the prison." He smiled. "Bring the girl and the kid. They are just as guilty."

The next thing Diana saw, was blackness.

Bruce was laid out on his bed, reading the book he and Diana never finished. He closed it. The two lovers had died together after a feud between their families. Strange, it was. Their love was forbidden. Their relationship was kind of like his and Diana's. Only, theirs wasn't completely one-sided and Romeo wasn't under a spell. Also Juliet was actually in love with Romeo and kissed him because she did. He ran his hand through his hair. A knock was the next thing he heard.

"Come in." He said. Alfred walked through, holding a bottle of strawberry milk. Bruce smiled when he saw the bottle.

"I brought this." Alfred handed the bottle to him. "I remember you used to drink that all the time." He sat down as Bruce opened the bottle and took a sip.

"Thank you." He said. Alfred's forehead wrinkled, something that always happened when he was worried.

"I can't help but feel that you've been acting strange. I'm sorry that we won't be able to break the spell Bruce. It probably would've been better if the wretched girl never came." He said, getting slightly angry when he mentioned Diana. Bruce quickly took offense.

"Don't talk that way about her. She did nothing wrong." He said, raising his tone. He had never fought with Alfred, never in his life did he take the risk to cross the line with him. But Alfred didn't know what happened the night she left. Bruce had no intention of telling him. It was memory only he and Diana shared. And he was determined to keep it that way.

"Don't raise your tone with me." Alfred said, starting to take his fatherly figure.

"If you want to blame someone, blame me. It's my fault. Don't put it on the girl I love." He said. Alfred didn't say anything. His face changed from angry to sad.

"I just wish I didn't let her go." He said quietly. Alfred patted him on the back.

"I know you didn't want to. But as old sayings go on, if you love something, set it free. And if it comes back to you, then it's yours." And with that, Alfred left him alone, letting his mind wrap around his words. She was never his to begin with. There was no way she was coming back. But he did love her enough to let her go. He loved her. And nothing is going to change that.

Diana finally opened her eyes and found herself in a cell with two other people. Two people she knew. One, was Alexa, bandages all over her body; she was huddled in a corner looking out into the immense darkness. Lacy was right next to Diana, looking at her with wide eyes.

"She's up." Lacy said, so close to Diana's ear that it sounded like she was yelling. Diana shot her a glaring look. Lacy apologized and sat down next to Alexa. Alexa looked at her with red eyes that were puffy from crying. She stood up and helped Diana to her feet. But when Diana finally got the courage to look her in the eye, she slapped her. She pushed her back down on to the concrete floor and started to curse at her in Greek. Lacy covered her ears. When Alexa was done cursing, she sat back down next to Diana and cried on her shoulder. Never in Diana's life had she seen Alexa so angry and broken.

"I'm sorry this happened." Diana whispered. She wasn't just apologizing to Alexa and Lacy but to lfherself. She was sorry she talked about the human world in front of Lacy. She was sorry she sneaked away. She told them all of this.

Reluctantly, she said thing she was sorry for most of all.

"I'm sorry that I'm in love with him." Both Lacy and Alexa looked at her. Alexa hugged her tightly. Lacy stood up, sat in front of her and took her hand. Diana squeezed it and shook her head as she cried. In her mind the same thought occurred over and over. _I love him. I love him. I love him._ The kiss had meant everything to her. She loved him. And finally after what seemed like a few hours, she accepted it. She loved him, but she would never get the chance to tell him.

He had set her free because he loved her. She wanted to come back but couldn't. It felt like Romeo and Juliet. Only this time, only one would live.

 **I couldn't really post this weekend because I wanted to make this chapter long. So I was deciding to put it up next weekend but I just told myself to post it because I didn't want to disappoint anyone. I hate it when I let you guys down. But thank you to those who read and like my story. I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP.**


	13. Birthday Bash

Birthday Bash

It had been officially two weeks since Diana left his life. Bruce was now more anxious than ever. Two days before his birthday. Then one day. Then he woke up and it was time. As much as he didn't want to get ready, as much as he just wanted to cancel it, it was too late. It was already the biggest thing in Gotham; all celebrity channels talked about how they would cover the party even though it's a private party. The Daily Planet was especially covering it. He wondered why the cared so much since they work in Metropolis. Probably because he was the most famous in the area.

Bruce stayed in his study until the party had started. He could see the flashing of cameras as cars started to pull into his driveway. He could hear Alfred's footsteps down the hall. The rose only had four petals left. Only a few seconds more.

"Sir?" Alfred opened the door. Bruce looked at him. "It's time." Bruce made his way downstairs and opened the front doors. Cameras crowded in, flashing everywhere. He didn't mind the cameras, he greeted the guests that started to pile in. Alfred closed the door behind him as the party started. He mingled with everybody. After an hour, he stayed in the corner drinking the tiniest bit of champagne.

"Mr. Wayne." He heard a voice call. He looked at his left. A man with black hair was dressed in sharp suit but his circle glasses were slightly smudged. A woman appeared next to him. Vicki Vale. Gotham's most persistent reporter.

"Clark Kent of the Daily Planet,"He said. "Me and Miss Vale are working on an article about some interesting rumors involving you." Bruce didn't bother to say anything but raised an eyebrow. Kent looked like Boy Scout. Then Vicki started to take over.

"There was rumors on how people kept seeing a girl with you. Rumors say you're dating in secret. Would you like to comment on that?"

"This is a private party. I'm sorry but you'll have to leave." He said, avoiding her question with ease. Both frowned. Bruce walked away, leaving them with their answer. They scribbled down in their notebooks and left to enjoy the rest of the party despite what Bruce told them. For the rest of the party he talked to others thanking them for their few words of "Happy Birthday". His pasted smile made others brighten. But his words were hollow and empty. As much emotion he put into his words, he still sounded that same exact way.

As he walked around to mingle with others, he saw Clark stare at him suspiciously. It was no lie the Boy Scout knew he was hiding something. But he didn't mind. He could dig as deep as he wanted to, hell, he could dig a trench and still find nothing. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Alfred standing behind him.

"Sir, there is a strange man here who wants to talk to you." He said. Bruce looked over his shoulder to see a man with brown eyes and a menacing glare staring right at him. Women were beside him all giving Bruce angry looks. Bruce's eyes widened when he saw what was in his hand. It was a piece of metal in the shape of a bat.

 **I had to make this chapter short because I had get back on track. But I promise you I will be able to post the next chapter the next weekend. And if I'm lucky, I'll be able to post it tomorrow because it's Columbus day I think. Thanks for reading!**


	14. A Tale as Old as Time

**This is it. The End. I just wanna say thank you guys for reading this and that I had so much fun writing this. I'll be posting the first chapter of the next story as soon as possible.**

A Tale as Old as Time

Diana paced the floor. Today was Bruce's birthday and Dominic hasn't been down for over three hours. That wasn't good. It was already madly late into the night. She had to get out and get to him as fast as possible. She could bend the metal but then it would be life or death. The bars had a special poison running through them. If she would dig her fingers into the metal and bend it, then there was a a fifty percent chance she would live through it and fifty percent chance that she'll go out cold right on the spot. But the question was, was it really worth it?

Yes.

If she was lucky enough to rip through it and still live then it would change everything. It was worth it. It was worth risking her life to save his. But if she did die, she would want her last breath to be wasted on how much she loved him. After all, it was what a proper queen would do. And she was ready. Not telling them of her plan, she stood in front of the bars and took a deep breath and pulled with all her might. She could hear gasps from both Lacy and Alexa. Diana suddenly lost her breath. Her heart started to hurt as she felt the poison run through her bloodstream. A quick flash of light then nothing.

"Diana!" She heard Alexa yell with Lacy's wails in the background. Then nothing.

Bruce continued to stare at the man. The man never took his eyes away from his face. Bruce shot him a glare and went back to Alfred.

"Tell him I don't feel like talking. If there is a problem, I'll be in my study." He said. Alfred nodded. Bruce gave the man one last glare, excused himself from the guests, and headed upstairs. He stood in front of the rose. Three petals left. There was a knot in his gut. Something wasn't right.

Diana opened her eyes in a matter of minutes. The pain in her heart was gone as quickly as it came. She looked at her hands. She was alive. She got lucky. But she could feel it in her blood. But she didn't care.

"How long was I out?" She asked. Alexa looked at her in utter shock.

"Only a couple of minuets." She replied, her face still with surprise. Diana told them of her plan, how the poison never really got to her. And after a quick heated argument with Alexa, they started to run off. As they ran through the forest, the pain in Diana's heart came back. The poison was most definitely inside her, and she didn't bother to tell them. She could only hope.

As the portal came into view, Diana could see someone waiting at the dial. A woman with orange hair with white streaks. Lola. As she skidded to a stop, she noticed different things about her. Her hair was shorter, with more gray then there was orange. Lola looked at her, and suddenly anger came over her.

"Mom?" Alexa asked.

"Diana," Lola said, not even bothering to acknowledge Alexa. "It's chaos. By the gods you better fix this." Diana nodded. Lola was thankfully not angry at her. She was angry at Dominic. And so was Diana. She quickly turned the dial and typed in Gotham. In a second the the portal was already and she was already stepping inside. The gods were on her side.

The next thing Bruce heard was screams coming from downstairs. Several people, including shouts from women. He was going to run outside and see what was going on but then a pain that was strong enough to make him scream suddenly hit his side. He saw the strange man with his bold brown eyes staring at him with a sickening smile pasted on his face. Bruce fell to the floor holding his side. The stranger walked around him with a deep low chuckle.

"So," He said. He knelt down. "Care to tell me what spell you put Diana under?" Bruce didn't understand nor was he going to answer. The man rolled his eyes and stood back up again. He pushed Bruce down with his foot. Bruce winced. He quickly gained his strength to stand up, so he did. The man was a shadow. He was somewhere one place, and somewhere else the next. He was at Bruce's side in a second. The next thing Bruce noticed was he was on the ground with glass surrounding him in the pounding rain. The man had threw him through his balcony door. He saw the flashing of red and blue lights. Someone must have called the police.

Bruce stood up, leaning on the ledge for support. His mind was completely torn apart. It felt like there was a war going inside him. One side wanted to fight. An image of Diana came to his mind. But it was washed away. She had left him. His other side wanted him to stay down. He wanted for this so long. His parents, Alfred, and Diana cared for him. But it didn't help. It was the right thing, right?

Right?

Diana didn't know what to think. As she ran through the streets in the pouring rain, her mind was scrambled. Like a puzzle there was always one piece missing to complete it. As Bruce's mansion came into view she skidded to a stop. Cars with flashing red and blue lights on top of them filled the driveway. It was too late. She ran up it until two officers blocked her way. She started to argue with them. But they kept telling her it wasn't safe.

"Let her through." A voice said. Alfred. Diana hugged him. It felt good to see him again. She scanned the crowd of faces. No one she recognized. And worst of all, no Bruce. She looked at Alfred.

"He's still inside." Alfred said. "They won't let me back in to get him."

Diana was about to say something when she heard a loud crash come from the roof. Everybody screamed as they saw someone crawl out to the ledge with a crazed man walking behind him. Bruce. Dominic. Bruce was laying on the ledge while Dominic shouted something at him. A thunder clap consumed his shouts. Diana squinted through the rain. She could see a glimpse of a knife in Dominic's hand. In her mind she was screaming at him to get up, but he laid there.

It's almost like he wanted it.

Dominic raised his hand. The knife shone brightly as lightning struck nearby. Diana screamed but her scream was devoured by the rumbling thunder. Dominic didn't hear her. But Bruce did. They both made eye contact for a second before it was broken when Bruce grabbed Dominic's arm before it plunged into his back. Diana turned to Alfred. She didn't have to say anything for him to know what she was thinking.

"Follow me." They ran through the crowd of people to the back. While she ran, she eyed a man specifically, who was walking away like nothing was happening. He was strange.

As they made their way to the back door, Diana prayed to the gods. She prayed that he would still be there. That he would be okay. That he would accept her feelings.

That he would love her.

Bruce couldn't believe what he was doing. He was there fighting. All because of her. Why was she here? And dear god, why did he see her? Why did he have to see her? His mind made lists upon lists of questions. But inside he was happy. He was happy she was here. He was happy he was fighting. Because once he won, she would coming running to him. And finally, he would have a happy ending.

These thoughts completely took him off guard. It was hard to fight when all he thought about was her. But it was worth it. The next thing Bruce knew was he was on the ground with the man on top of him, trying to stab him at the neck. The stranger was unusually strong. And the most unexpected thing happened. As the blade was inches away from his neck, two shining red beams of light hit the man in the chest. Bruce turned to see the shining symbol on a man's chest who, looked awfully familiar. With his red cape flowing behind him, the man nodded at him. Bruce nodded back.

"Bruce?" He heard a voice call. He turned around and saw Diana behind the balcony ledge. Her hair was wet. He couldn't believe it. She came back. He walked toward her, never breaking eye contact. He walked faster. Then he started to run. He jumped over the ledge and grabbed her.

Their lips smashed together as she wrapped her arms around his neck while he pulled her at the waist. Dear god did he love her. They kissed like nothing happened, Diana leaned against the ledge. A kiss in the rain, he remembered. It wasn't exactly like the movies, but it was so much better. They pulled away and just stared at each other. Both had smiles that were meant for only them.

But then her smile faded.

And it was replaced by a cry of pain.

She fell to the ground. He knelt beside her and cradled her against his chest. Her mouth dripped the tiniest bit of blood. He quickly wiped it away. She was crying. Her breaths were short and rapid.

"I'm so sorry." She cried. He stroked her cheeks and wiped her hair out of her face. Now he was crying.

Because he realized something.

The rose was never meant for him. It was for Diana. The time he thought he had left was how much Diana had left. But then why? Why give it to him?

Cause she knew.

The enchantress knew. Diana was from a completely different world, so it would be hard to get it to her. She knew they would meet. She knew he had fallen for her. She knew how much pain she was causing him. But in the end, it all meant something. It taught how to be kind. Gotham would rot if he hadn't became Batman and fought for justice. He wouldn't give his life to Diana that one night if it wasn't out of kindness. Just one more deed. One more deed of good that could come out of his stone heart.

"Please let me die with you." He cried. She shook her head.

"You have to stay here." She touched his face. "But I can't." She gripped his hand tightly. He buried his face in her chest and screamed.

"I love you." She said.

Diana had gotten what she wanted. She loved him and she was able to tell him. A chance that she greatly took advantage of. A chance that she would never forget. A chance that will always run in her mind. As her final thoughts were whisked away into the darkness, the last two words came to her mind.

 _Thank you._

Bruce screamed again as Diana closed her eyes. There was no heartbeat, not a single pulse could be felt. She had left him, like his parents. She was his rose, and she withered. He never got to tell her. His tale would end with no happy ending. Hell, he wouldn't get it.

"I love you too." He says quietly.

Bruce held Diana's cold, lifeless body in his arms. From the corner of his eye he could see Lacy and Alfred there with another girl with bright orange hair. Their faces were a blur from his tears but he knew they were there. He closed his eyes.

In the cold rain a sudden warmth came over Diana's body. She felt her consciousness come back as the light drifted farther away and the night came into view. There was smoke, it clouded most of her vision but she knew everyone was looking at her. The smoke drifted away.

"Why are you guys staring at me?" She asks as everyone stares at her except for Bruce. Bruce looks up from her chest. He doesn't say anything, which makes Diana even more confused. He's crying, but he's never looked happier.

He crashes his lips into hers. She doesn't ask, she just takes it. The fierce passion grew between them as they kissed. She knew had came back, how his love for her was stronger than anything. It was stronger than any power, and any spell. She knows Alfred, Alexa, and Lacy are staring at them, but she knows damn well that she doesn't care. They break apart and he plants small kisses all over her face, ending it with a long kiss on her lips. She giggles and they hug.

Bruce cried in her shoulder. She's crying too, but more quietly then he is. Her lavender scent was faintly there, but it was as strong as ever to him. It was an interesting ending. She didn't leave him. He knew somewhere, someone was looking down upon him with a smile just as big as his own.

"I love you so much." He says, now unafraid to say it. Her grip on him suddenly become tighter like they were chains around his body. He knew she accepted his feelings. She was the key to his heart.

"I love you too." She said. Hearing those words, made his body grow with warmth. He hasn't heard those words in a while. The last time he heard them, was the last time he was with his parents. Part of his mind still couldn't believe that he was actually able to love again.

As Diana and Bruce rejoiced with a ball on Christmas Day, things changed. Dominic was no more, with Alexa being promoted to royal adviser. Lacy on the other hand, was grounded for three months but then became a storyteller for the young as she got older. At Diana's coronation, she made a proud speech of how she would be changing the law, that the amazons could love whomever they wanted. She and Bruce married as soon as they turned twenty. And to add on to their happiness, they were blessed with twins. Thomas Alfred Wayne and Martha Lola Wayne. Bruce was a loving father, showing affection to his children more than ever. He was very protective of them. Diana felt proud to have him as her husband. They were both twenty-seven and they lived their happily ever after. They would live out their nights in the library, Diana reading aloud to Thomas, Martha, Alfred and Bruce.

Back in Themiscaryia, their story still lives on. A window was made in their honor after they both had died peacefully in their sleep from old age. Lacy still tells their story, for it is the most known in all of the island. Their tale was in the hearts of the people. The beauty that could be of a goddess, tamed the wild beast that came from the darkest of nights.

It was truly, a tale as old as time.

 **I'm just silently crying. I love this story to my hearts content. But... we have to move on, sadly. Let me know what you guys want to read next. You can read _My Novel Ideas_ for some ideas that are looking to be written. I'll let you know now, three of them are original ideas that I thought of myself while the others is a bunch more fanfics that I would definitely write. Love You GUYS! 3**


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